Sunday, June 28, 2009

From the Light:“Just as George Washington rejected a suggestion he be named a king, so should any self-respecting, freedom-loving American citizen eschew any offer to be a “czar” over anything or anybody.”Lawrence W. Reed

"The fact that others are now our equals and can achieve much if not all that we can, is not so bad. It doesn't mean the world is going to go to hell. It just means that like a parent watching their kids grow up, we are simply losing control over our offspring, and that they will rewrite the world in their own image. For those of us in the West, that doesn't mean we eat any less, but maybe it means the free ride is over. For the old world order is now gone."Scott Kelly

“The Nation State is a criminal organization which must be opposed in its very concept...The State represents a terminal disease of human consciousness that is anti-life, anti-ethics, and suicidal...Blind obedience to incompetent, violent and morally depraved authority is a clear case of mental disease…”Read moreJeff Knaebel

“Politics is not about what works, it's about what you can get away with. And what you can get away with is often exactly what doesn't work at all.”Bill Bonner

“Through schools, churches, the media, corporations, our parents, and various other influences in our development, we train ourselves to look for meaning in our lives not within ourselves, but in external organized systems that have a vested interest in having us elevate their purposes above our own. It is this practice that is the midwife to all forms of collectivism.”Butler Shaffer

“It bears repeating: the entire artifice of the state is based on the threat or employment of violence to meet its ends, so it is morally illegitimate and reprehensible from the starting blocks. You have the moral high ground because all government for the most part is an elaborate shell game to develop proxy relationships with servant classes who obey at the urging of a lash or worse for the material and power benefit of the ruling class.”William Buppert

"To be sure, the recent protests in the streets of Tehran are a distraction, but in keeping with the lessons of modern American democracy, there's nothing wrong with Iranian democracy that a shipload of tasers and waterboards can't fix. With a little hard work and a lot of hypocrisy, the mullahs can make over Iran's democracy into just as much an admired sham as is America's."Joe Schembrie

“Those who want to outlaw guns have not explained why it would be any more effective than outlawing drugs, alcohol, robbery, rape, and murder. All the crimes for which guns are used are already illegal, and they keep on occurring, just as they did before guns existed.”Paul Craig Roberts

From the Darkness:"I will not conduct an austerity policy because it has always failed in the past."French President Nicolas Sarkozy, commenting on his ballooning budget deficit.And we deplore violence against innocent civilians anywhere that it takes place."Barry Obama, commenting on the violence in Iran. [Hey B.O.- What about your violence against innocents in Af-Pak and Iraq?]

"We have seen courageous women stand up to brutality and threats, and we have experienced the searing image of a woman bleeding to death on the streets. While this loss is raw and painful, we also know this: Those who stand up for justice are always on the right side of history."Barry Obama [Hey B.O.- What about the “courageous” who stand against the US-led “brutality and threats” in Af-Pak and Iraq? You call them, terrorists!]“The American innovation machine, when it revs up, is the greatest in the world. Today, we’re putting that engine into gear.”U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu presenting Ford Motor Co. with $5.9 billion in loans to help the automaker develop and manufacture a new generation of fuel-efficient vehicles.

“It is clear that to love your neighbor is to love the earth, and we all need to take steps on personal and communal levels to do just that. This means setting priorities and being willing to make sacrifices in our own life, but the same needs to happen on a national and global scale.”Columnist Jim Wallis Pushing the American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009

Monday, June 22, 2009

Coyote:
A small low budget film with an excellent, entertaining story. Two buddies decide to start a coyote business, guiding “illegals” into the US from Mexico. However, they bill themselves as the “kindler, gentler” coyotes who treat their customers well and go above and beyond the service of the standard trafficker.
RecommendedAustralia:
The film starts out slowly, but builds into a decent story, though sometimes a bit melodramatic. An interesting piece of Australian history that I’m sure most viewers would admit to being unfamiliar.
Recommended

Seven Pounds:
Make sure you’re in a somber, reflective mood before watching this film. The intense, emotional story is supported well by some excellent acting.
RecommendedKenny Wayne Shepard- 10 Days Out:
The young blues guitarist travels around the country to talk to and jam with many of the old, still living blues greats- some who are worldly famous, but most who only achieved regional acclaim. A nice smorgasbord of different, original blues styles.
RecommendedTaxi to the Dark Side:
Documentary takes a look at US sponsored torture at Abu Ghraib, Iraq and Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan. Includes interviews with those directly involved and focuses on one particular victim- an innocent Afghan taxi driver who was tortured and beaten to death.
Recommended

Defiance:
This drama tells the story of the Bielski brothers who led an armed Jewish resistance to the German Nazis in the forests of Belo-Russia. This is an important, inspiring piece of history with which I’m sure most people are not aware of. The film also addresses the question of whether you fight terror with terror, with the risk of acting no more civilized than your enemy.
RecommendedLiving Proof:
Emotional biopic that follows the journey of Dr. Dennis Slamon as he worked to fund research and test the drug, Herceptin as a useful tool against breast cancer. A good illustration of the roadblocks (particularly by the FDA) that lie ahead for those who want to desperately save their own lives or the lives of others.
Recommended

Death in Gaza:
This is a 2002 James Miller documentary that takes a look at life in the occupied Palestinian territories by focusing on the lives of several children there. Mr. Miller had also hoped to make a parallel film about children in Israel, but he was shot dead by an IDF gunman during the making of this film.
RecommendedSlumdog Millionaire:An engaging, well-constructed story that includes a look at the caste system within India.
RecommendedThe Curious Life of Benjamin Button:Based on a short story by F. Scott Fitzgerald. Brad Pitt is born with all the symptoms of old age. As he grows older, his body becomes younger, but his mind wiser. A whimsical story that requires patience in viewing.
RecommendedJohnny Got His Gun:
1971 anti-war classic, written and directed by Dalton Trumbo, who also wrote the award winning novel that originated the story. Tim Bottoms plays a severely injured WWI American soldier who is kept alive, despite having lost both arms and legs, as well as the ability to speak, hear, and see.
Recommended

Seinfeld- Seasons 1-9:
I watched all seasons, hoping there would be some of the 180 episodes that I had not seen. The only one I found was the second to last episode that was banned from syndication because of the burning of the Puerto Rican flag. Even if you’ve seen every episode these discs are worth viewing because- 1) the material is funny enough to enjoy watching numerous times, and- 2) the interviews, cast commentaries, deleted scenes, and blooper reels are a worthwhile bonus. My favorite episode- “The Merv Griffin Show.”
Recomended

Festival!:
Documentary with footage of four Newport Folk Festivals from 1964-67. It includes performances by a young Bob Dylan and Joan Baez and prized footage of some early blues masters including Mississippi John Hurt and Son House. Pete Seeger articulates well the value of folk music:
“We believe the average man and woman can make his own music. In this machine age, its doesn’t all have to come out of a loud speaker. You can make it yourself. Whether you want to shout or croon, sing sweet or rough. And it can be your own music. And when I say your own music- the music of your own kind. Whether its your family, your town or region, your race or your place, your religion or wherever it is.”
Amen.
RecommendedValkyrie:
Tom Cruise stars in this latest of several movies made on the subject of Col. Claus von Stauffenberg and the plot to kill Hitler during World War II. The film illustrates nicely the bravery and commitment necessary to mount a viable resistance movement.
Recommended

Doubt:
Superb writing and acting characterize this story about doubt and mistrust inside a Catholic school in the Bronx.
Recommended

Saturday, June 20, 2009

From the Light:“A world in which order is maintained by symbiosis, self-regulation, and cooperation would have no need for the structuring that is the universal solvent offered by the political classes for every condition to be exploited for their power interests.”Butler Shaffer"Obama proposes to entrust the critical job of “systemic risk regulator” to the Federal Reserve, the very organization that has proven most adept at creating systemic risk. This is like making Keith Richards the head of the DEA.”Peter Schiff

"In a civilized, highly organized, highly political state, government is impossible without the consent of the governed. Any object for which a considerable body of men are prepared to starve and die can be achieved by ... [nonviolent] means, without the need of resort to force. And if this is true of objects desired by a minority only, it is a thousand times truer of objects desired unanimously by the whole nation."Carl Watner

“In America’s flight from morality, people have turned to a self-appointed secular priesthood of social workers, psychologists and propagandists for special interest groups to tell them what is right and wrong. The common theme of the secular priesthood is that individuals aren’t responsible for their actions.”Charley Reese

“The great libertarian project of political observation consists of nothing but holding the State to the same definition of evil used to identify private crime.”Lew Rockwell

“Often it is the very falsity of an idea which constitutes its strength. For the masses the most glaring error becomes a radiant truth.”Gustave Le Bon

“Lincoln didn’t free the slaves, he created them.. We are their descendants.”Michael J. Bates

“Many religious believers distrust economics, to the point of rejecting economic analysis as “materialistic” in a world in need of “morality.” Rest assured, the engines of statism recognize this inclination all too well, and milk it for all it is worth. Analysis is replaced by sentiment, sentiment by ignorance, and ignorance is manipulated by myth, and then lies.”Chris Manion

From the Darkness:“There's a difference between shooting a security guard and shooting him because he works at the Holocaust museum.Hate crimes embody a unique type of evil, a really unique brand of evil. Violent acts can physically hurt just a single victim and cause grief to loved ones. Hate crimes do more. They distress entire communities, entire groups of people."Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid Monday while vowing a quick vote on legislation to strengthen US hate crimes laws.

"The projected rapid rate and large amount of climate change over this century will challenge the ability of society and natural systems to adapt."From a report by the U.S. Global Change Research Program.

“We have to have somebody who is responsible for seeing the risks of the system as a whole and not just individual institutions. The Fed is best positioned to do that.”Barry Obama"He isn't the Buddha, he's a human being and human beings have a long way to go before they think before they act."PETA statement, responding to Barry Obama swatting and killing a fly during a television interview.

"I will just tell you that there are people at Gitmo who will kill Americans at the drop of a hat."GW Bush, still busy warning us about evil doers.

"ABC Television Network has a long standing policy that we do not accept advocacy advertising."An ABC spokesman, commenting on rejecting “attack ads” during their “Obama Only” health care infomercial to be broadcast from the White House.

“The question now is whether the president we elected and spoke for us so grandly yesterday can carry out the great vision he gave us and to the world. If he can, he will be honoring what happened on D-Day 65 years ago tomorrow. He will be delivering the world once again from evil.”MSNBC’s Chris Matthews, gushing about Obama’s D-Day speech.

“Obama stands above the country, above the world. He is sort of God.”Newsweek columnist Evan Thomas

"We must clarify the status of millions who are here illegally, many who have put down roots. For those who wish to become citizens, we should require them to pay a penalty and pay taxes, learn English, go to the back of the line behind those who played by the rules. That is the fair, practical, and promising way forward and that's what I'm committed to passing as president of the United States."Barry Obama, describing his immigration “reform.”

History is full of examples of state deception- those who demonize others and lie us into wars, those who fraudulently take our money with the promise of positive lifestyle changes, those who guarantee change but instead deliver the status quo.

Probably the least obvious, and therefore the most dangerous, kind of deceiver is the prophet who uses fraudulent or misrepresented science and “facts” to scare and motivate “threatened” individuals.

“It projects that increasingly severe heat waves, floods, storms, and forest fires will be responsible for as many as 500,000 deaths a year by 2030.”

There’s no way to predict such calamities for the same reason it is impossible to predict long term climatic events. Climate is inherently unpredictable which is why TV weathermen don’t bother or risk predicting what the weather will be like beyond a week into the future. This report is typical of studies that just throw out a number from thin air.

“Economic losses due to climate change today amount to more than $125bn a year —more than all the present world aid.”

Ahhhh, there’s the clever back door way to say that the present amount of money stolen from productive individuals is not near enough. Here we see the number one response to the state’s failed enterprises- not enough has been spent, we must spend even more. The GHF study seems to think $600 billion should solve the problem. Amazing, isn’t it, that all the tireless studies and economic analysis that was done with this study came up with such a nice, round number?

“If emissions are not brought under control, within 25 years, the report states: • 310m more people will suffer adverse health consequences related to temperature increases• 20m more people will fall into poverty• 75m extra people will be displaced by climate change.”

How will they know that reducing CO2 output has helped prevent more natural disasters in the future? How can this be measured? How long will it take for the reduced emissions to have an effect? Will the number of disasters and resulting death toll decline? What if it increases? Should emissions be reduced even more? Should even more money be spent? Should CO2 be simply outlawed?

“The study says it is impossible to be certain who will be displaced by 2030, but that tens of millions of people ‘will be driven from their homelands by weather disasters or gradual environmental degradation. The problem is most severe in Africa, Bangladesh, Egypt, coastal zones and forest areas.’"

Imagine that- deserts have more heat waves, coastal zones have more floods and forest areas experience more forest fires. That must have taken months of studying the data to figure that out.

“The study compares for the first time the number of people affected by climate change in rich and poor countries. Nearly 98% of the people seriously affected, 99% of all deaths from weather-related disasters and 90% of the total economic losses are now borne by developing countries.”

Why should that be surprising? Poor people are less able to prepare for and deal with disasters due to lack of resources. Poorer people also tend to live in areas that are more prone to natural disasters, such as flood plains and at the base of active volcanoes. Also, the populations in these areas have increased which is one reason why death tolls rise when disasters occur. Higher death tolls dictate “increasingly severe” disasters, not more “extreme weather” or “climate change.”

“The world's poorest are the hardest hit, but they have done the least to cause it.”

Disasters always affect the poor the worse. This is nothing new, but a fact witnessed through centuries of history. The statement implies that the wealthier people in the world have “caused” this climate change and must therefore be penalized. The real disaster will occur when even more wealth is redistributed at the point of a gun to hopefully solve a problem that may be caused by human behavior, based on a theory that seems kinda accurate, gathered from computer models that sometimes are accurate.

Don’t let yourself be deceived by those with apparent political or social standing. Don’t let yourself be deceived by those with questionable credibility.

"The trouble with lying and deceiving is that their efficiency depends entirely upon a clear notion of the truth that the liar and deceiver wishes to hide."

Friday, June 19, 2009

WARREN, Pa. -- A northwestern Pennsylvania newspaper is apologizing for running a classified advertisement calling for the assassination of President Barack Obama.

Warren Times Observer Publisher John Elchert says the ad appeared Thursday. It read, "May Obama follow in the steps of Lincoln, Garfield, McKinley and Kennedy!" The four presidents were all assassinated.

Elchert tells The Associated Press that the newspaper's advertising staff didn't make the historical connection.

He says the newspaper turned information over to police and that the Secret Service is investigating the person who placed the ad.

A note in Friday's paper says the newspaper "apologizes for the oversight."

Tuesday, June 16, 2009

Back in my 9th grade journalism class (40 years ago) I learned the concept of the 5 W's. One of those is rarely ever asked in news reporting these days (as pertains to the state)- "why?" Though state sponsored initiatives, programs, and enterprises show a decades-long record of catastrophe, the media never asks the simple question, "why?"Why are these programs failures? Why are these programs and enterprises continued when they are absolute fiascos and even harmful? Why is the state even involved in such activity? And even, why does the state even need to exist?

To comprehend the reason the media doesn’t ask such questions, it is necessary that one understand three important facts about the state:

1) The state is not held to the same standards of moral, financial, and professional conduct as are individuals and privately owned enterprises. The media accepts this dichotomy and never questions the obvious discrepancy. State individuals can continually be proven liars and cheats, yet the media still gives them credibility by quoting them and providing a forum for more lies.

2) The state creates its own reality. Just ask Karl Rove, who can explain it better than anyone- The media is complicit with this fraud by mindlessly parroting the false realities created by clever propagandists.

3) The state has its own language, carefully crafted to deceive and cover-up its criminal activities. The media uses this same language to deceives its readers and is thereby complicit with state-initiated crimes.Examples:Property theft is "eminent domain."Murder of innocent civilians is "collateral damage."Withholding facts in a criminal investigation is "executive privilege."To have lied is to have "misspoke."Bribes are "campaign contributions."Those who don't believe or agree with the state's interpretation of facts are "conspiracy nuts."Being negligently uninsured is "self-insured."A state created Ponzi scheme (illegal for individuals) is “social security.”“Refugees” (usually created by some form of state aggression) are now labeled, “internally displaced persons.”

Again, the media is complicit with this deception by using and repeating the same dishonest language.

Yes, sometimes journalists do expose the fraud, waste, inefficiencies, murder, torture, abuse, and unfairness characteristic of state enterprises. I certainly applaud this fact. Yet, the proposed solutions listed in such an expose are always the same old, tired pabulum- more funding and/or reassignment/replacement of bureaucrats and apparatchiks.

The question not asked- "Why?" Why not abolishment? Why not private alternatives to this miserably failed state monopoly? How can enterprises so important to the lives of individuals (such as security) be allowed to be state monopolies, shielded from market forces? It is indisputable that market forces are the only accurate evaluator of any enterprise. The question not asked- "Why?"

Monday, June 15, 2009

Today is Flag Day- a time to reflect on the state and its supporter’s fascination, reverence and stodgy defense of it symbols.

Supporters bristle at the argument that such an obsession is akin to religious fervor. But all you have to do is examine the “disposal process” of these symbols when they become worn and unacceptable.

According to United States Code, Title 4, Chapter 1, Section 8(k):"The flag, when it is in such condition that it is no longer a fitting emblem for display, should be destroyed in a dignified way, preferably by burning."

What is considered “dignified” is where the religion-like, devotional solemnity comes into play. It seems there is no prescribed, universally accepted ceremony for proper disposal of the flag. There seem to be as many different disposal programs as there are organizations that venerate this piece of cloth. I guess you could consider each program a denomination- they all worship the same symbol but differ in the matter that their worship is executed. The Boy Scouts and the American Legion are certainly a couple of the most active flag-retiring organizations. The Scouts go as far as to warn participants that the flag is NOT to be considered “burned,” but “retired.”

Flag worshippers will deny to perpetuity that their flag-love is akin to religious idol worship. Some (as a commenter to the DMN story) would argue that anyone disagreeing should rightly “move to North Korea.”
Merriman Webster’s Dictionary defines “religious” as:

Of course, the US flag is a religious symbol- representative of the US civic religion. It is handled (at least by the followers of this religion) with all the delicacy and reverence of any religious artifact.

The enforced “proper disposal” of this flag is also proof of its religious connotation. When the flag is burned on the street as a form of political protest, the flag religionist considers this act sacrilegious, abominable and disrespectful. However, the flag can be burned for disposal purposes, as long as the proper formality and ceremony is followed and the appropriate incantations and proclamations are uttered. The physical reality in both cases is………… THE FLAG IS BURNED!

So, now we have a group of youths (Boy Scouts) dressed in identical military style uniforms, exhibiting a prescribed religious reverence towards an adored political symbol. Sounds and lookslike North Korea to me!

The nationalistic sophistry used by US Loyalists exposes them as just as goofy and spooky in their state worshipping activities as the rival groups they continually demonize.

Saturday, June 13, 2009

From the Light:“For all the celebrating that happens on July 4th, the truth is that the vast majority of Americans are scared poopless of the thought of ever NOT DOING WHAT THEY’RE TOLD. So, as loud and whiny as they might get, most will forever remain obedient subjects, “law-abiding taxpayers” who take great pride in how well they obey orders and “play by the rules.” They think like slaves, act like slaves, and are treated like slaves. Then they complain about it.”Larken Rose

"Voting is a tacit endorsement of inflicting theft and violence not only upon one’s self, but upon the rest of society and humanity in general. It is a callous disregard of life, liberty, and property. It is one of the most destructive activities imaginable, tantamount to robbery and murder."Alex R. Knight III

"The soft, vulnerable underbelly of the modern state being so easily exposed explains in part why the state and its supporters have had to resort to deception shrouded in religious dogma and patriotic gibberish to justify their existence. It is simply their hope of keeping the dogs of freedom at bay."Tim Case

“If you think of yourselves as helpless and ineffectual, it is certain that you will create a despotic government to be your master. The wise despot, therefore, maintains among his subjects a popular sense that they are helpless and ineffectual.”Frank Herbert

“In the language of the eloquent Grimke, we must show that ‘the great objection to war is not so much the number of lives and the amount of property it destroys, as its moral influence on nations and individuals. It creates and perpetuates national jealousy, fear, hatred, and envy. It arrogates to itself the prerogative of the Creator alone, to involve the innocent multitude in the punishment of the guilty few. It corrupts the moral taste, and hardens the heart; cherishes and strengthens the base and violent passions, destroys the distinguishing features of Christian charity, its universality and its love ofenemies’; turns into mockery and contempt the best virtue of Christians—humility; weakens the sense of moral obligation; banishes the spirit of improvement, usefulness, and benevolence, and inculcates the horrible maxim that murder and robbery are matters of state expediency.’”Alexander Campbell

“Popular government has two major parts. One part is fraud. The other is larceny.”Bill Bonner

"A free society at peace with itself is less likely to be bullied into huge governmental power grabs, whether in the name of economic crisis or national security."Anthony Gregory

From the Darkness:"Heaven will never be the same. It will be a better, better place with George in it."Larry Borcherding, eulogizing slain abortionist, George Tiller.

"If he does not turn to God and does not turn his life around, I am asking God to enforce imprecatory prayers that are throughout the Scripture that would cause him death, that's correct."Pastor Wiley Drake, when asked if he prays for Obama to die.

"We're going to get more dollars out the door, more shovels into the ground and more money into the pockets of workers and families who need it most."Joe Biden, on the stimulus ramp up.

"There was a time when post pursuit ass-kickings were obligatory. Cops knew it, suspects knew it, and there are enough old timers on both sides of the fence that will verify the assertion when I say that what this officer did was NOTHING compared to what would have happened in another place and time.... I'm nostalgic for the days when the pursued feared the judicial system if for nothing but the inevitable ass-kicking and street justice."Dean Scoville, L.A. Sheriff’s Dept. investigator, defending officers who kicked in the head and clubbed a motionless, surrendering suspect.

"The president will deliver remarks on the need to adhere to the basic principle that new entitlement policies should be paid for -- often called Paygo -- which will require the government to budget the same way any responsible family does.”White House statement [Please, excuse me while I pick myself off the floor after convulsing into a fit of uncontrollable laughter.]

"Our objective is not to supplant or replace markets" Rather, our objective is to save them from their own excesses and improve our market-based system going forward.The actions we take are those of necessity, not choice."Chief White House economic adviser Lawrence Summers, in a speech to the Council on Foreign Relations in New York. [Damn, I've fallen down laughing, again- and I can't get up!]

"It's not enough to prosecute these murders as murders. They are hate-motivated crimes and each of these men had been under some sort of police surveillance prior to their actions. Isn't it time we started rounding up promoters of hate before they kill?”Bonnie Erbe, US News, commenting on recent high profile murders.

Friday, June 12, 2009

Today marks the day that television terrestrial broadcasting has moved from analog to digital. And guess what? I’m NOT along for the ride.

I decided some time ago that I would absolutely not pay for a converter (or accept a coupon paid for with stolen money). I refuse to buy this clumsy box, which would provide not a better quality signal but merely allow me to receive the analog signal I presently get.. Why should I pay more just to receive what I already have? Now I find out that the quality of that analog signal is likely to be even poorer quality than before!

I watch very little television anymore, and I truly believe my life is richer for doing so. The only regular series I watch is ABC’s Lost. But I can wait a day or two after initial broadcast and watch a particular episode on their website. I’ve found that Netflix satisfies my viewing needs quite well and I can choose (and pay for) exactly what I want to watch and when- be it movies, documentaries or television series episodes. And I get this service for far less cost than what is available from cable companies.

I last had cable television in 1986 and have never missed it. I had a ten foot satellite dish for several years, back when there was still a lot of choice available in programming purchases. That is no longer the case, today. With the big dish I could subscribe to individual premium channels. I didn’t have to purchase these packages that force you to pay for and subsidize useless, crappy programming. I would only subscribe to ESPN and ESPN2 to watch college football. That option was lost when all satellite programming moved to the digital satellites and everyone was once again forced to purchase and subsidize a lot of junk just to be able to watch the few channels they were interested in. I refused to follow along.

When I purchase a book by Murray Rothbard I’m not forced to also purchase books by Bill O’Reilly or Ann Coulter. When I buy music by The Allman Brothers Band I’m not required to also buy “music” from Britney Spears and Two Live Crew. When I purchase a Nikon camera, no one requires that I also purchase a Canon. So, why should I be forced to purchase television programming that doesn’t interest me in order to view the programming that does? Why doesn’t television offer consumers the range of choices that other products, services, and media do?

What about news? Face it, TV news is a sick joke. Anyone who consistently receives their information from these sources will find themselves ignorant, clueless and misinformed. The major networks are nothing more than the propaganda arm of the ruling state regime. They consistently present their “news” from their viewpoint as state apologists. Any thought or viewpoint out of the mainstream is marginalized as extremist and dangerous.

Occasionally, I’ll have to do some overnight travel for work. I rarely turn on the television during my stay in a motel. I don’t need a lot of obnoxious noise and images in my room. The few times I have turned it on have been depressing moments, indeed. While surfing channel after channel of mindless, useless, drivel, I ask the question, “Do people really watch this junk….and pay for it?”

Sometimes, while eating dinner, I will watch the CBS Evening News with the sound turned off (leaving the sound on will only discourage digestion). I’ve found I can follow the viewpoint and bias of the reporter merely by watching what images he uses and in what manner they are presented. One feature CBS has is “Children of the Recession.” I notice a number of healthy, well- fed looking children speaking to the reporter. They must be suffering somehow, since the reporter is taking time to talk to them. Maybe they’re testifying to the horror of only being able to visit the shopping mall three times a month, instead of four.

Want to see something interesting on the CBS News? Count how many times Katie Couric dips her chin to look cute and perky or guess how many drug commercials you’ll have to sit through that push pharmaceuticals to keep you numb and stupid.

Giving up TV has given me more time to read (books and internet sources) which is always a plus. And if I’m too tired for that there are growing sources of interesting video and audio podcasts on the internet, much of it original, intelligent, and interesting. I won’t even mention how my state of mind seems healthier and my creative powers appear keener. Oops, I just did!

Television originated as a medium with so much potential. But that potential was buried under a landslide of regulation, corporatism, cowardice, mediocrity and misinformation. May it rest in peace.

Tuesday, June 9, 2009

For a number of months I have occasionally posted comments after stories that appear at the website of the Dallas Morning News (known affectionately as the Callous Marxist Ooze) and it sister site, WFAA.com.

Sometimes I would post anti-war and anti- military comments and enjoy watching the US Loyalists and war freaks getting stirred up, hot and bothered over my remarks, as well as reading a few replies of support.

Not long ago WFAA completely shut down their comments section, apparently upset with so-called “abuse” of the comments section. No doubt, some comments by folks are a bit crude. But why ask for comments, then get upset when people actually do so? Why should a news organ whose business is based on words, be so afraid of them?

I’d noticed in the recent past a couple of my comments would not post or if they were posted, would have disappeared by the next day. The most recent removed comment was to a story how a local teenager had bravely decided to join the US Marines. My comment was apparently just too subversive and unacceptable to be seen by the newspaper’s readership:

“Another soul lost to the allure of nationalism and the beast of war.”

Today, I attempt to re-post this benign message and receive a message stating, “your account profile contains inappropriate content.” A quick look at my profile will show that my profile contains NO “content.” Despite the courtesy of offering to post comments from readers, I don’t see the reason nor rationale to obtain reader’s personal information. Why the sudden interest in this information, considering this data had never been listed the previous months, nor was required? Are they trying to track me down? Or is it merely another way of saying that the content of my posts is "inappropriate?"

The MSM will go to whatever lengths necessary to shut out any information that is contrary to the state, one-party-line world view, even to the point of silencing a peaceful, dissenting reader.

Sunday, June 7, 2009

“The corruption and abusive nature of “law enforcement” can’t be handled through minor reform; it’s a symptom, not the cause, and it is so intertwined with the nature of the state itself that the two cannot be separated. The political class’s attack dogs have gained a taste for power, and so long as we allow that class to rule us, those dogs will be fed.”Thomas L. Knapp

"Like Paris, foreign travel used to be seen as romantic, or at least as interesting and enjoyable. Gone are the days. Today’s world traveler is little more than a guinea pig in a diabolical experiment designed to determine how much abuse the masses will take before either lapsing into complete madness or taking up pitchforks and torches and coming after the Dr. Frankensteins who created these “security” monstrosities."Robert Higgs

“Desertion is a moral imperative when continued service implicates a soldier in crimes against God and mankind. Indeed, there are times when desertion is a moral duty.At some point, if liberty is to have a fighting chance, American military personnel are going to have to experience an epiphany and decide that they're no longer going to fight on behalf of the bastards running the Regime.”Will Grigg

“The economy is croaking. So what we need to do is have a lot of expensive foreign wars. Anybody can see it. You can’t run your own country? Then kill a bunch of thirteenth-century peasants. That’ll fix it.”Fred Reed

"President Barack Obama is taking the practice of naming czars to new heights. It took those old Russkies 300 years to produce 18 czars. It took Obama less than 100 days."Katherine Mangu-Ward

“War comes wrapped in patriotic slogans, calls for sacrifice, honor and heroism and promises of glory. It comes wrapped in the claims of divine providence. It is what a grateful nation asks of its children. It is what is right and just. It is waged to make the nation and the world a better place, to cleanse evil. War is touted as the ultimate test of manhood, where the young can find out what they are made of. War, from a distance, seems noble. It gives us comrades and power and a chance to play a small bit in the great drama of history. It promises to give us an identity as a warrior, a patriot, as long as we go along with the myth, the one the war-makers need to wage wars and the defense contractors need to increase their profits.”Chris Hedges

“Foreign policy is the personality of the state, and the personality of the modern American state is schizoid, defective, in need of a strong straitjacket and a padded room.”Karen Kwiatkowski

“The habit of getting something for nothing is one of them. Spending money someone else earned is like eating a big slice of Black Forest cake and watching someone across the table get fat. You're likely to ask for seconds.”Bill Bonner

From the Darkness:

"We will not stand idly by as North Korea builds the capability to wreak destruction on any target in the region — or on us."Robert Gates [But it’s OK if the USG has the “capability to wreak destruction” on any target it chooses, eh, Billy?]

“The rapid expansion and global dependence upon cyberspace required the defense department to evolve its war fighting doctrine to include cyberspace as a viable domain on par with the domains of land, sea, air and space.”Lieutenant General Keith Alexander, the director of the National Security Agency (NSA).

"No one is going to be more concerned about future deficits than we are, As we recover from this unprecedented crisis, we will cut our fiscal deficit [and] we will eliminate the extraordinary government support that we have put in place to overcome the crisis."

US Treasury Secretary Geithner, conning his Chinese creditors.

"I am comfortable with the policy action the Federal Reserve has taken. We are comfortable we can exit from those policies at the appropriate time without inflationary consequences."

About Me

Several years ago I started writing as a hobby and I’ve had my columns published at Strike-the-Root.com, Lew Rockwell.com, Anti-War.com, MensNewsDaily.com, Novakeo.com, ActivistPost.com, InfoWars.com, and ThePriceofLiberty.org. I use my writing as a tool to encourage people to reject state dominion and to live as the free individuals God intended. Individual liberty is not compatible with state coercion, no matter the size of the institution nor the constitutional restrictions placed upon it. The goal of those liberated from statist inclinations and nationalism is a stateless society based on the principles of non-aggression, individual respect, self-ownership and common sense. This can only come about through individual-initiated education and spiritual reform. I hope my writing aids others in those pursuits.